Abstract
Objectives: This study evaluated the longitudinal effect of a positive youth development (PYD) program entitled “Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes” (Project P.A.T.H.S.) on perceived thriving among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Method: Individual growth curve modeling analyses were performed using eight waves of data collected over 5 years from 23 experimental schools (N = 3,607) and 24 control schools (N = 3,574). Results: Adolescent thriving declined faster among control school students relative to experimental school students. While the two groups did not differ at Wave 1 and Wave 2 on the mean thriving levels, experimental school students showed higher thriving levels at Wave 3 to Wave 7 than did the control group students. Such differences between the two groups were more salient among girls than among boys, suggesting a stronger intervention effect for girls. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that PYD programs can promote thriving in Chinese adolescents.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 870-883 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Research on Social Work Practice |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- Chinese adolescents
- experimental design
- longitudinal study
- positive youth development (PYD)
- thriving
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Sociology and Political Science
- General Psychology